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Poker Terms

The words you'll hear at the table, from all in to the nuts, explained in plain English.

A to Z

For beginners

The poker terms to know first

These twelve come up in every hand of Texas Hold’em or Omaha you play. Learn them and you can follow any table.

Blinds
The two forced bets that start the betting in Texas Hold'em and Omaha: the small blind and the big blind.
Button
The marker for the dealer's seat. The button acts last after the flop, which makes it the best seat at the table.
Hole cards
Your own cards, dealt face down: two in Texas Hold'em, four in Omaha.
Flop
The first three community cards, dealt face up together.
Turn
The fourth community card.
River
The fifth and last community card.
Check
Passing the turn without betting. You can only check when no one has bet in the round.
Call
Matching the current bet to stay in the hand.
Raise
Putting in more than the current bet, so the other players must match it, raise again or fold.
Fold
Giving up your hand and any chips you have already put in the pot.
All in
Betting every chip you have in front of you.
Showdown
The end of the hand, when the players still in show their cards and the best hand wins.

Glossary

Poker terms from A to Z

114 words and phrases, from the betting and the cards to the slang players use for each other.

A

Action
Whose turn it is, or the betting itself. "The action is on you" means it's your turn to act.
Add-on
In some tournaments, a one-time chance to buy more chips, usually when the rebuy period ends.
All in
Betting every chip you have in front of you.
Ante
A small forced bet every player puts in before a hand, in some games and in later tournament levels.

B

Backdoor draw
A draw that needs both the turn and the river, like three cards of one suit after the flop.
Bad beat
Losing with a strong hand to a player who was behind until a lucky card came.
Bankroll
The money you set aside only for playing poker.
Big blind
The larger of the two forced bets, posted two seats to the left of the button. It also sets the smallest bet allowed.
Blinds
The two forced bets that start the betting in Texas Hold'em and Omaha: the small blind and the big blind. Poker betting rules
Bluff
Betting or raising with a weak hand to make better hands fold.
Board
The community cards in the middle of the table that every player shares.
Broadway
The highest straight: ace, king, queen, jack and ten. Also any card ten or higher.
Bubble
In a tournament, the stage just before players start winning money. The last player out before the payouts bursts the bubble.
Button
The marker for the dealer's seat. The button acts last after the flop, which makes it the best seat at the table.
Buy-in
The chips you sit down with at a cash table, or the price of a tournament seat.

C

Call
Matching the current bet to stay in the hand.
Calling station
A player who calls too often and rarely raises or folds.
Cash game
Poker played for the chips on the table, which are worth real money. You can sit down or leave whenever you like.
Check
Passing the turn without betting. You can only check when no one has bet in the round.
Check-raise
Checking, then raising after another player bets.
Chop
Splitting a pot, usually because two players hold hands of equal value.
Coin flip
A matchup where both hands have about the same chance to win, like a small pair against two higher cards.
Cold call
Calling a raise when you have put no chips in yet this round.
Community cards
The shared cards dealt face up in the middle: the flop, the turn and the river.
Continuation bet
A bet on the flop by the player who made the last raise before the flop. Also called a c-bet.
Cooler
A hand where two strong hands meet and the loser could hardly have avoided losing, like a full house against four of a kind.
Cutoff
The seat just to the right of the button, the second best seat at the table.

D

Dead money
Chips in the pot from players who have already folded.
Dealer
The person who shuffles and deals, or the software that does it online. The dealer button marks the seat the deal goes from.
Donk bet
A bet into the player who raised on the previous round, made by a player who acts first.
Double-suited
In Omaha, a starting hand with two cards each of two suits. Omaha poker rules
Draw
A hand that needs more cards to become strong, like four cards to a flush.
Drawing dead
Having no card left in the deck that could win you the hand.

E

Equity
Your share of the pot based on your chance of winning it at this moment. Poker odds calculator
Expected value
What a play wins or loses on average over many tries. A plus EV play wins money over time.

F

Fish
Slang for a weak player who loses money at the table.
Flop
The first three community cards, dealt face up together.
Flush
Five cards of the same suit, in any order.
Flush draw
Four cards of one suit that need one more to make a flush.
Fold
Giving up your hand and any chips you have already put in the pot.
Four of a kind
Four cards of the same rank. Also called quads.
Freeroll
A tournament with no entry fee that still pays prizes.
Full house
Three cards of one rank and two of another, like three kings and two fives. Poker hand rankings

G

Grinder
A player who plays a lot of hands for steady, small wins.
GTO
Game theory optimal: a balanced strategy that opponents can't profit from by adjusting, usually worked out with solver software.
Gutshot
A straight draw with a gap in the middle, like 9, 8, 6 and 5, so only one rank completes it. Four outs.

H

Heads-up
A hand or a game between just two players.
High card
A hand with no pair, valued by its highest card.
Hijack
The seat two places to the right of the button.
Hole cards
Your own cards, dealt face down: two in Texas Hold'em, four in Omaha.

I

Implied odds
The chips you expect to win on later rounds if you hit your draw, on top of what's in the pot now.
In position
Acting after your opponent in a betting round, so you see what they do first.

K

Kicker
The highest unpaired card, which breaks a tie between two hands of the same kind. Poker hand rankings

L

Limp
Calling the big blind before the flop instead of raising.
Lojack
The seat three places to the right of the button.

M

Maniac
A very aggressive player who bets and raises with almost any hand.
Monster
A very strong hand.
Muck
To fold, or the pile of folded cards. Mucking at showdown means not showing a losing hand.

N

Nit
A very tight, cautious player who plays only strong hands.
No-limit
A betting structure where you can bet all your chips at any time. Poker betting rules
Nut flush
The best possible flush on the board, usually the ace-high flush.
Nuts
The best possible hand with the community cards showing. Holding the nuts means no one can beat you right now.

O

Offsuit
Two hole cards of different suits, like the ace of spades with the king of hearts.
Omaha
A game where each player gets four hole cards and must use exactly two of them with three from the board. Omaha poker rules
Open-ended straight draw
Four cards in a row, like 9, 8, 7 and 6, that a card at either end completes. Eight outs.
Out of position
Acting before your opponent in a betting round.
Outs
The unseen cards that would improve your hand to the likely winner. Poker odds calculator
Overpair
A pocket pair higher than every card on the board.

P

Pocket pair
Two hole cards of the same rank, like two sevens.
Position
Where you sit compared with the button, which decides when you act. Poker positions
Pot
All the chips bet in a hand, which the winner takes.
Pot odds
The price of a call compared with the size of the pot. Calling $10 to win a $30 pot gives pot odds of 3 to 1.
Pot-limit
A betting structure where the most you can bet or raise is the size of the pot.
Preflop
The betting round after the hole cards are dealt and before the flop.

Q

Quads
Four of a kind.

R

Rail
The area around a table, or watching a game without playing. A player who busts out goes to the rail.
Rainbow
A board with no two cards of the same suit, so no one can be drawing to a flush yet.
Raise
Putting in more than the current bet, so the other players must match it, raise again or fold. Poker betting rules
Rake
The small cut the poker room takes from each pot, or the fee in a tournament.
Rakeback
Part of the rake returned to the players who paid it. Poker rakeback
Range
All the hands a player could hold in a spot, rather than one exact hand.
River
The fifth and last community card.
Royal flush
Ace, king, queen, jack and ten of the same suit: the best hand in poker.

S

Satellite
A tournament whose prizes are seats in a bigger tournament.
Scoop
Winning the whole pot, especially both halves of an Omaha Hi-Lo pot.
Semi-bluff
Betting with a draw that is behind now but could improve to the best hand.
Set
Three of a kind made with a pocket pair and one matching card on the board.
Shark
A strong player who wins money from weaker ones.
Short stack
A player with fewer chips than most others at the table.
Showdown
The end of the hand, when the players still in show their cards and the best hand wins.
Side pot
A separate pot for the chips bet after a player is all in. The all-in player can't win it. Poker betting rules
Sit & Go
A tournament that starts as soon as enough players sign up, instead of at a set time.
Slow play
Playing a strong hand weakly to keep opponents in the pot.
Small blind
The smaller forced bet, posted by the player just to the left of the button.
Split pot
A pot shared between players whose hands are of equal value.
Stack
The chips a player has in front of them.
Straddle
An optional extra blind, usually twice the big blind, posted before the cards are dealt.
Straight
Five cards in a row, in any suits, like 8, 7, 6, 5 and 4.
Street
One round of betting: preflop, the flop, the turn or the river.
Suited
Two hole cards of the same suit.
Suited connectors
Two hole cards of the same suit next to each other in rank, like the 8 and 7 of hearts.

T

Table stakes
The rule that you can only bet the chips in front of you when the hand began.
Tell
A habit or action that gives away the strength of a player's hand.
Three-bet
A re-raise. Before the flop, the first raise after an open raise. Often written 3-bet.
Tilt
Playing badly because you're frustrated or angry, often after a bad beat.
Trips
Three of a kind made with one hole card and a pair on the board.
Turn
The fourth community card.

U

Under the gun
The first player to act before the flop, sitting just to the left of the big blind. Often written UTG. Poker positions
Underdog
The hand with the smaller chance of winning.

V

Value bet
A bet made with a strong hand, hoping a worse hand calls.
VPIP
Voluntarily put money in pot: the share of hands a player chooses to play, a common stat in tracking tools.

W

Whale
Slang for a player who plays big and loses a lot.
Wheel
The lowest straight: ace, two, three, four and five.
Wrap
In Omaha, a straight draw your hole cards wrap around, with more ways to hit than an open-ended draw.

Slang

Poker slang for starting hands

Players give the best-known starting hands nicknames. These are the ones you'll hear most.

  • Pocket rockets

    Two aces

  • Cowboys

    Two kings

  • Ladies

    Two queens

  • Fishhooks

    Two jacks

  • Dimes

    Two tens

  • Snowmen

    Two eights

  • Walking sticks

    Two sevens

  • Route 66

    Two sixes

  • Sailboats

    Two fours

  • Crabs

    Two threes

  • Ducks

    Two twos

  • Big Slick

    Ace and king

One more you’ll hear: the dead man’s hand, two pair of aces and eights.

Slang

Poker slang for players

Fish
Slang for a weak player who loses money at the table.
Whale
Slang for a player who plays big and loses a lot.
Shark
A strong player who wins money from weaker ones.
Nit
A very tight, cautious player who plays only strong hands.
Calling station
A player who calls too often and rarely raises or folds.
Maniac
A very aggressive player who bets and raises with almost any hand.
Grinder
A player who plays a lot of hands for steady, small wins.

FAQ

Questions about poker terms

What poker terms should a beginner learn first?

Start with the betting words (check, bet, call, raise and fold), the blinds and the button, and the names of the community cards: the flop, the turn and the river. Then learn which hands win, on our poker hand rankings page.

What does the nuts mean in poker?

The nuts is the best possible hand with the community cards showing. If you hold the nuts, no one can beat you at that moment.

What is a bad beat?

Losing with a hand that was well ahead until a lucky card came for your opponent, usually on the turn or the river.

What does tilt mean in poker?

Playing worse because you're upset, often after a bad beat. A player on tilt bets too much and plays hands they would normally fold.

What is the difference between a set and trips?

Both are three of a kind. A set uses a pocket pair plus one card on the board; trips use one hole card plus a pair on the board. A set is harder for other players to see coming.

What does fish mean in poker?

Fish is slang for a weak player who loses money at the table. Strong players are sometimes called sharks.

What is a straddle in poker?

An optional extra blind, usually twice the big blind, posted by the player to the left of the big blind before the cards are dealt. It buys that player the last action before the flop.

What does GTO mean in poker?

Game theory optimal: a strategy balanced so that opponents can't profit by adjusting to it, usually worked out with solver software.

Hear them at the table

Play No-Limit Texas Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha for real money at PokerBest.